Here’s a recap of some of the posts on The DC Traveler of some interesting things to do both with the family and for a night of ghoulish pleasure with the adults.

• Check out the always wild Nightmare on M Street and other parties for the over 21 crowd.
• Shoot off some steam (and pumpkins) at the Pumpkin Cannon in Thurmont, Maryland
• Take the kids to see haunted forests, spooky trails and ghoul filled forests.

Halloween not your thing? 

• Check out the Gem & Jewelry Show in Timonium, Maryland
• Enjoy the passion of Ballet Flamenco Jose Porcel live at George Mason University.
• Try to get tickets for Cirque du Soleil’s KOOZA at the National Harbor.

Image – Flickr – Zombies at the Washington Monument
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Post from: The DC Traveler

Using highly compressed air, the pumpkin cannon can project a pumpkin 100 yards at a target across a field. If you prefer something a little less deadly?  Try their double-barreled apple, small gourd and corn cannon.

And if you are looking for a few other Halloween ideas, check out some of my other family-friendly recommendations for Halloween, including a 9-acre corn maze in Midland, Virginia.

Lawyer’s Winterbrook Farms
13001 Creagerstown Road
Thurmont, Maryland 21788 (map it)

About 1 hour and 20 minutes from Washington, DC, about 15 miles north of Frederick, Maryland.

Dates and Times – Open thru November 2, 2008.  Hours:

• Wednesday & Thursday, Oct. 29 and 30 – 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.
• Friday – Oct. 31, dusk – 10:00 p.m.
• Saturday, Nov. 1 – noon 10:00 p.m.
• Sunday, Nov. 2 – 11:00 – 7:00 p.m.

Tickets – $5.00, children under 6 free. Pumpkin cannon – 3 shots for $10.00, Smaller corn/apple cannon – 6 shots for $5.00

Parking – Free

Images – Flickr – pumpkin heads, yellow cannon, orange cannon
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Post from: The DC Traveler

Washington, DC has a reputation of having a great Halloween party atmosphere, especially in Georgetown. But if you prefer to avoid the crazy street scene. Here’s a few ideas for Halloween night activities.

• Synetic Theater is hosting presenting it’s Vampire’s Ball in Arlington, Virginia. The evening starts with a performance of Edgar Allen Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher.
• The annual Halloween Monster Bash at the popular Clarendon Ballroom brings the 20-something crowd together for dancing, cocktails and costume contests.
• Prefer to visit not one, but multiple drinking establishments on Halloween? Then check out Nightmare on M Street, a 6-hour pub crawl taking people though a series of DC bars.
• Dress as your favorite Pirate of the Caribbean at the Halloween Dance party at the Hollywood Ballroom in Silver Spring, Maryland. Come early to take a dance lesson early, then dance the night away.

Date and Times – Friday, October 31, 2008, times vary.

Tickets – Most tickets are available at the door, but check the party’s website for specifics.

Images – Flickr – Nightmare before Christmas,  Men in Black

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Post from: The DC Traveler

Check back tomorrow for a list of some of the fun adult activities.

There are several great places for the kids. But be careful, some may not be appropriate for the very young. Check the links for address, directions, admission prices, and days and hours, which vary by venue.

• First is the always popular and usually sold out Boo at the Zoo at the National Zoo in Washington, DC. Trick-or-treat along haunted trails, learn about bats spiders and other creepy and spooky animals and reptiles, while stocking up on sweet treats at over 40 stations.
• Field of Screams in Olney, Maryland, offers visitors a haunted forest with ghosts, goblins and other scary creatures just for kids. Or get lost in their large ten-acre corn maze, but watch out for what might be hiding inside….
• I’ve written about Markoff’s Haunted Forest, a top-rated Halloween destination in Dickerson, Maryland before, where not only are the scary employees, but a good number of the visitors get dressed in elaborate costumes for a frightful walk through the dark haunted forest.
• Another local favorite is Bennett’s Curse — House of the Vampires in Hanover, Maryland.
• And one more haunted woods walk is the popular Spooky Hollow and Haunted Trail. This scary place in Germantown, Maryland also offers entertainment, carnival games, food, give-away and contests.

Note: While some of these are definitely for small children, many are spooky and scary for older kids.

Images – Flickr, Fuzzy blue, witch

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Post from: The DC Traveler

An important lesson learned.

So here goes another try, a few weeks earlier this time…

Take the kids in full Halloween costumes to the wildest, most animalistic trick-or-treat in DC. Boo at the Zoo.  Kids get to enjoy animal encounters and keeper talks, enough snacks, treats and candy for an elephant from 40 treat stations around the zoo. Can you say sugar shock?

I’ve discovered the event generally sells out a couple weeks before the event, so order your tickets now!!

Boo at the Zoo 
National Zoo
3001 Connecticut Ave., NW
Washington, DC  (map it)

Date and Time – Friday – Sunday, Oct. 26-28, 5:30 p.m. 

UPDATE: As of October 4th, tickets for Saturday have sold out.

Tickets – $25.00 and are available online (limit 6).  

Nearest Metro subway station – Woodley Park/Zoo/Adams Morgan (a 2 block uphill walk) or Cleveland Park (a 3 block downhill walk) - Red Line.

Parking – Street parking is available, but watch for rush hour limitations and the parking meters, some my be in effect after 6:00.

Images: Flickr

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Post from: The DC Traveler